Ariadna Montiel Denies Meeting with “El Chapo’s” Brother; Hector de Mauleón Stands by the Allegations

Ariadna Montiel denied an alleged meeting with “El Chapo” Guzmán’s brother, “El Guano,” and requested a right of reply from *El Universal*; Héctor de Mauleón stood by his column, citing security sources.

Ariadna Montiel Reyes, a national leader within the Morena party, has rejected allegations regarding an alleged meeting with Aureliano Guzmán—the brother of “El Chapo” Guzmán and known as “El Guano”—and has requested a right of reply from the newspaper *El Universal*. Columnist Héctor de Mauleón has reaffirmed the claims made in his piece.

What did Héctor de Mauleón publish?

In a column titled “Ariadna Montiel’s Meeting with ‘El Guano’,” De Mauleón cited security sources regarding an alleged encounter that reportedly took place in early 2024 in Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua. According to this account, Montiel allegedly met with Aureliano Guzmán—the brother of “El Chapo”—to negotiate support for Morena’s candidacies.

The text asserts that the purported agreement involved electoral backing in exchange for allowing control over a territorial corridor between the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua. These allegations are attributed by the columnist to various reports and sources.

The piece also links this information to previous statements made by María Eugenia Campos Galván, the governor of Chihuahua, who pointed toward Montiel during an interview with journalist Carlos Loret de Mola. According to the column, the governor’s remarks stem from these same reports.

In her response, the national president of Morena rejected the presentation of unproven accusations as established facts. She also questioned the fact that the column’s headline treats an encounter as having actually taken place, even though the text itself later describes it as merely alleged.

“I have never had any relationship with, nor have I ever met with, individuals involved in criminal activities,” Montiel stated in a letter published by *El Universal*.

The leader maintained that the piece cites a report that is never actually shown, and that the allegations lack sufficient evidence for verification. Regarding references to her assets, she asserted: “My personal assets are documented in my financial disclosure statement, which has always been a matter of public record.” This statement reflects her own position; this review did not include an examination of her financial disclosure statement.

Montiel also attributed the accusations to a political confrontation with the government of Chihuahua, linked to his allegations regarding the involvement of U.S. agents in an operation in the Sierra Tarahumara. In his written statement, he held Campos politically responsible and questioned the conduct of former state prosecutor César Jáuregui.

De Mauleón stands by his column

The journalist responded that he stands by what was published. In a statement released through *El Universal*, he wrote that he upholds every line of his column and defended the source of his information.

“The accusations that Governor Maru Campos leveled against Ariadna Montiel in recent days stem from a federal intelligence report, the authenticity of which has been confirmed by security sources,” noted De Mauleón.

In a screenshot of his response on X—provided for this article—the columnist also rejects the notion that his publication constitutes a political attack by the right. That message includes broader criticisms directed at the movement led by Montiel, while also defending his own journalistic work.

Source: Contramuro